Read-out slide switch



W. L. CHERRY ET AL Sept. 2, 1969 READ-OUT SLIDE SWITCH 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19. 1968 in! VENIOKS. WALTER L. 67/51? R) FAY/wow G. 011M25- TJ/E/A AI'IOX/VEI Sept. 2, 1969 w, L, CH ETAL 3,465,113

READ-OUT SLIDE SWITCH 2 Sheets Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1968 \J v N m Q. IVE/a Jiffy/EVE)- m mu uvvizvrazes. WALTEK L. CHE'KRY .ZAYMOND 6- 64mm;

O OOOOOOOOOGOOO DOOBOQQDO fl o ooaou oonoooono United States Patent US. Cl. 200-167 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multiple slide read-out switch for use in data transmission, having a reset mechanism for each switch carrying slide for independently resetting each slide, and a common reset mechanism for simultaneously resetting all actuated switch carrying slides.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A circuit making device having a multiple of switch carrying slides supported on current conducting rails with each switch movable across a plurality of current conducting strips, for establishing an electric circuit therethrough. Each slide having circuit registration indicia exposed through a sight opening, as well .as a plurality of actuating apertures formed in an exposed portion of the slide, with the apertures in registration with the indicia whereby an operator may select a circuit by its indicia and move the selected slide over its current conducting rail into circuit making contact with one of the current conducting strips. Each slide has associated therewith a resettable latch for holding the slide in its actuated position, as well as a common reset lever operatable on all actuated slides to simultaneously reset the device to its original condition.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a slide switch device;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the switch device with its cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a detailed sectional side elevational view of the switch;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view of the latching and resetting apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a detailed sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the parts in an actuated resetting condition;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detailed view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detailed view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

As an illustration of an application of the invention there is shown in FIG. 1 a control panel 10 having two data transmitting slide switches associated therewith.

The panel 10 provides an opening 11 closed from the rear by a front wall 12 of the switch unit. The front wall 12 is provided with parallel slots 13 and 14 through which is exposed a plurality of actuating apertures 15 formed in a portion of each of the switch carrying slides associated with the illustrated device. A window 16 is provided in the front wall for each of slides through which is exposed the indicia of the selected circuit connected through the slides, such as for example circuits A and G, as shown.

Projecting out of an opening in the front wall 12 is a reset button 17 which, in a manner hereinafter described, is

common to all of the slides of the device, as well as individual reset ports 18 for effecting resetting of any one of the slides independently of the others.

As all of the switch carrying slides of this invention are identical in construction and operation, only one will be described. Each slide consists of an elongated current conducting rail 19 which provides terminal legs 20 pro- "ice jectable through slots 21 formed in a base plate 22. The base plate 22 is provided with a plurality of coplanar current conducting strips 23, which extend transversely to the rail 19, and are spaced and out of contact therewith. The rail 19 is provided with a center slot 24 which extends more than halfway through the entire length of the rail 19, and in which is adapted to be positioned a coil spring 25. One end of the spring 25 is connected as at 26 to the rail 19 while its opposite end is connected as at 27 to a switch contact housing 28 formed as an integral part of the slide 29.

The slide 29 provides a flat top section 30 which extends parallel to the base plate 22, and which midway throughout its length is reduced in width so as to provide a portion 31 which lies directly beneath the slots 13 and 14 formed in the front wall 12. This portion 31 of the slide also has formed therein the actuating apertures 15 by which each slide is moved over its rail 19, in a manner hereinafter explained. The enlarged fiat section 30 of the slide carries the circuit indicia 32 which is exposed through the window 16 formed in the front wall 12 as seen in FIG. 1.

The switch contact housing 28 carries a current conducting switch member 33 which provides current conducting connection between the rail 19 and the strips 23. This member 33 may be generally constructed in a manner shown and described in United States Letters Patent 3,205,319 dated Sept. 7, 1965.

The slide 29 has a segment of its bottom edge provided with notches 34 which are in registration with the apertures 15 formed in the upper portion 31 of the slide 29. The inner end of the slide 29 provides a depending leg 35 which carries a retaining pin 36 adapted to be contained in and moved through a second slot 37 formed in the rail 19.

Carried by one side of the rail 19, on a pivot pin 38, is a latch 39. The latch 39 provides a side wall 40 which lies in facial relation with the side of the upper portion 31 of the slide 29 beneath the front wall 12. The latch 39 also provides a stop shoulder 41 which is adapted to engage the flat wall of the notch 34 so as to releasably hold the slide in an actuated position. The latch 39 is maintained in a latching position which is a substantial vertical plane, as seen in FIG. 4, by a spring 42. The latch provides a leg 43 which projects through an opening 44 formed in the base plate 22, and into contact with a release bar 45 which is hingedly supported between two depending mounting brackets 46 carried by the base plate 22. This bar 45 also carries a substantially V-shaped trip lever 47 which has one leg in contact with the bottom end of a push button stud 48, and has the opposite leg extending through an opening in the base plate 22 so that it may be attached to a spring 49 which tends to pivot it in a clockwise direction about its pivotal connection to the brackets 46.

The push button stud 48 is connected to the push button 17, which projects out of the opening 50 formed in the front wall 12, and is slidably journaled through a bushing 51 threaded into a hole formed in the base plate 22.

The operation of the movable slide read-out switch apparatus is as follows. The operator wishing to establish a data transmitting electric circuit through the apparatus determines the circuit identification which will transmit the desired data. In the example shown in the drawings the circuit is designated as AG and is viewed through the sight opening 16 formed in the front wall 12. To obtain this indicated circuit the operator had inserted a suitable dull pointed element or tool in the actuating aperture 15 of the second slide switch adjacent to the letter G. By moving the tool downward through the slot 13 to the eX- treme bottom end thereof the associated slide 29 was likewise moved over its rail 19 until its switch member 33 came in contact with the correct strip 23. It should be noted that the length of the slot 13 limited the slidable movement of slide 29 over its rail 19. Also it should be noted that the depending leg 35 formed on the end of the slide 29 through its pin 36 as it moved through the slot 37 in the rail 19 added stability to the slide as it was so moved over the rail 19.

If in the event the operator had moved the second slide so that the G circuit was not established, all the operator need do is to insert the actuating tool in the reset port 18 associated with that particular slide 29 and pivot the latch 39 out of latching engagement with the notches 34 formed on the underside of the slide 29. This would permit slide 29 under the tension of its coil spring 25 to be returned to its original unactuated position.

If the operator wished to clear the apparatus after establishing the designated data transmitting circuit, all that need be done is to depress the reset button 17 which in turn would pivot the reset bar 45 against all of the legs 43 of all of the latch members 39, pivoting them simultaneously out of slide locking position.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into efiect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A multiple slide read-out switch apparatus having a front panel providing a sight opening through which circuit identifying indicia are exposed, a baseboard provided with a plurality of coplanar current conducting strips on one face thereof, a plurality of current conducting slide supporting rails mounted on the baseboard in spaced parallel relation above and transversely to the strips, and a switch member mounted on each of the rails and movable thereover into contact with a selected strip to complete a circuit therethrough, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) elongated slides mounted on each of the rails for movement thereover with each slide carrying the switch member for movement therewith into circuit registration with a selected current conducting strip,

(b) each of said slides having a circuit indicia bearing section movable into the sight opening formed in the front panel for indicating the circuit completed through the switch member carried by the slide, and an extension portion providing a plurality of actuating element receiving apertures by which each slide may be selectively moved over its rail,

(c) means yieldably retaining said slides in an unactuated position and for yieldably resisting movement of said slides over the rails,

(d) latch means in contact with each slide for releasably latching the slides and the switch members carried thereby in an indicated circuit making position after the slides have been moved over the rails,

(e) means in the front panel through which a portion of each of said latch means is exposed so that the same may be moved to release its latched slide for independent movement to its unactuated position, and

(f) latch releasing means common to all of said latch means for simultaneously releasing said latch means whereby all of said slides may be returned to their unactuated position.

2. A multiple slide read-out switch apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said means for yieldably retaining said slides in an unactuated position and for yieldably resisting movement thereof over the rails comprises a spring extending between and connected to the rail and the slide supported thereon.

3. A multiple slide read-out switch apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said latch means comprise pivo tal latch members carried by each of the rails having a portion in contact with latching elements on the under side of each of said slides.

4. A multiple slide read-out switch apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein the means in the front panel through which a portion of each latch means is exposed and adapted to be moved comprises reset ports formed in the front panel in vertical alignment with said latch means and through which each latch means may be pivoted out of latching contact with the slide.

5. A multiple slide read-out switch apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said latch releasing means which is common to all of said latch means comprises a release bar pivotally carried beneath said baseboard in contact with a portion of each latch means and adapted upon being manually pivoted to move said latch means out of latching contact with said slides so that said slides are simultaneously released for movement to their unactuated positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,146,320 8/1964 Wang et al 200-16 3,156,793 11/1964 Rosen et al 20016 3,280,275 10/1966 Sheffield et al 20016 H. O. JONES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 20016, 169 

